Cakewalk 2.5 a long time ago, hey I'm 55 this year. I bought cakewalk 3 with excitement and optimism. Since that time I have purchased every single incremental upgrade as soon as it was released with blind optimistic faith. I think it's fair to say I'm a believer a true cake fanboy. But... I have no enthusiasm to upgrade to x3. I have x2 and quite honestly I don't like it very much. It's bloated and sterile, confused and clunky. I find it foreboding, unfriendly. There is a barrier to scale. It stands braced between me and the idea that skipped across my mind. It no longer makes me feel excited and creative. It feels dull.

Sounds unfair doesn't it? After all it's just a bit of software, a tool. So it's my fault, my age, the limit of my ability that makes me dull. It's not sonar, it's me. But......
I get logic x and in a day I feel liberated. The music flows from me. New tunes new directions, new shapes and freedom to try new directions at liberty.

Simple access to patterns sounds and shapes without stress. Software that eases you towards creativity rather than conventions.
Music software, not audio recording software.

It's a revelation

Wow a lot can change in two months...

creynolds
I use sonar more than any other DAW. I have a protools 9 licence. I bought studio one and I used reaper for a while. Cakewalk should be quite interested in why I gravitate to sonar for most projects.  

Groups and grouping. Lets spell that out so the terminology doesn't trip us up here. I have done a few really large projects that have really quite a lot of tracks. In this respect any decent DAW can handle 60 plus tracks without major expansion or stress. But when it comes to making a new audio channel that just carries say, just the kit, sonar makes that a breeze. I can select a bunch of tracks and say "hey you lot, you all go to this stereo bus and that is it". In this way, no matter how many track a project contains I rarely waggle more than 10 faders to do the final mix. 
Some others can do this but the mute and solos get mashed up or you have to deal with a matrix or manage aux's. Sonar just says "ok done that". 

Amazingly, in all other respects I find all DAWs horribly similar. 

So there you are. 

 
 

Yes. You are right to quote that back at me. It's very surprising how you can modify your approach after realising that one piece of software seems to perplex and stifle your creativity and another can appear to throw the door open to innovation and innovation.

Very interesting, Mr. Reynolds.
 
I turned 58 this year. For me, Sonar X1 was the sterile one and X3 brought me back to life, musically speaking. I've been hitting the books and learning more about music production than I was ever aware of (or cared to know about) before. What's even more interesting (for me, at least) is that I've been working on one single song... one song... since September 13th--more than three months--and I'm still engaged. Mind you, it's hasn't all been just that song; it's also been learning how X3 differs from X1, learning all these new things about mixing, and even digging into learning more about the hardware I have and reawakening my friendship with the bass (which I haven't played with this type of enthusiasm since the 1980s).
 
So, you see, whereas X3 seems to have given you reason to find inspiration elsewhere, it's given me reason to find it right here. To each their own, I guess.

That's really interesting and really great. I don't want to be a nay sayer. In fact I can't. I decided for the first time in 25 or more years not to upgrade to x3. A decision I agonised over. It was tempered by such an overwhelmingly positive experience with logic x. I have never been a mac boy and never understood the bleatings of that clan but it was such a revaluation to run software that seems biased towards creativity and innovation rather than technicality. I freely admit that this occurred hand in hand with building a hackintosh but I really did feel liberated. I'm not yet fully indoctrinated but I really recommend an open minded look at apples flagship daw. It is inspiring.

Well, the important thing is that you're inspired to create. That's what it's all about, not what you use to get there. That said, as a fairly long time Sonar user, I'm very inspired by X3. I hope you will at least try it when the demo comes out. Best wishes to you.

Leadfoot
Well, the important thing is that you're inspired to create. That's what it's all about, not what you use to get there. That said, as a fairly long time Sonar user, I'm very inspired by X3. I hope you will at least try it when the demo comes out. Best wishes to you.

Words of wisdom

Just switching to a different DAW can inspire you to do something new! Just a fresh approach or changing workflows can light that fire. I have worked with Cakewalk products since Pro Audio 9. The studios I worked for that stayed loyal to Cakewalk always upgraded every chance. I have also used Logic, Cubase, and Pro Tools. Pro Tools, pretty much out of necessity as it has been the standard for so long. I always felt more comfortable and accomplished more in a shorter time with Cake. When I set my own studio up at home I started with Sonar 8.5. It came with the free introductory for X1. From then on I have been an exclusive user of Sonar.
I will say anytime I have used a different DAW, something different came out creatively. Sometimes, you have to jump the fence and check out the grass on the other side. That being said, if you have had the same experience as me, you will probably come back to the Cake fold with a new and fresh outlook.
I have not had a lot of the issues that some people complain about. I know that all DAWs have their little quirks. I must go down as saying that X3, while not perfect, is running as solid and reliable as anything I have ever used before. I'm sure we are all agreeing that the Gibson buyout scares the hell out of us but with the rollout of X3 as positive as it's been is a good sign. The forum is humming along, updates are coming faster than I have ever seen in the history of Cake. I hope that things stay this good and when you finally come back it will be to stay.
Only time will tell. 

I am really not sure what say here, and curiosity always gets the best of me more than anything else. It seems that many fly in here with the only purpose of "poisoning the well." No real point to be made, no problem to be solved... so I read them a few times to find a "point," and some I walk away from.
 
Music (to me) is a common thread of "joy"... if folks enjoy pounding on trash cans with sticks, then so be it... they are happy (beautiful thing actually)! Music spans all income levels and is not proprietary to anyone... so is an interesting field in that respect alone.
 
Just as an aside... I used to teach English, and often told students that if they master the art of argument, they have won. No one is required to read anything... and in text (especially), if you can validate your point, and have someone acknowledge it, it is a "win." Not that they agree with you, but "see your point." An example would be someone saying, "That movie sucked!"... without the "why" it carries no weight.
 
I have read the OP four (4) times now... and simply think "So this opinion undermines people who truly find joy via other means?" I am hard-pressed to see the "point" as I read it again... if another finds joy in anything else, they may be 20 steps ahead of anyone without it (is rather humbling actually). Anyway... food for thought....

I'm glad logic is working out for you. Not sure what the purpose of post was , but i wish you well